Damboa the land of Quest

My trip to Damboa the land of the Conquests

It was supposed to be a trip of one hour thirty minutes but it took us two hours plus because of the bad and probably the fear of unknowns.

At the bus park from Biu my take off point,you think you are going on normal trip as the people at Motor Park wear a smiling  face that never revealed the suspension on the way.

Although I was not too scared as my journalistic experience had already prepared me for such an adventure but within me,I hide a personal worry, I thought, what will my people eventually say incase anything happens to me as I has not informed them of this latest exploit before now.

My quest to know and have first hand information about the insurgency in the Northeast and my bossen friend invitation had propelled me to Borno which I resolved I make used of the trip to exploite the Sahel desert again.

From Biu to Damboa which the Boko Haram had once made theirs occupied land was such an awesome journey,through the stretch of the massive Nigeria land space, we drove through the beautiful tarrain of hill ranges to flat level lands that strech hundreds kilometers amidst.

My first encounter was at a Solider's Check point where I came face to face with a Range-Bomb-arrow-head gun for the first time in my life,the moment pop up my anxiety the more as I start imagining what the rest hours will look like.

As we proceed,the landscape seems wider with a mass of stones which mades up the natural vegetation of some of the areas,and I keep imagining how the farmers probably gathered the stones to make way for farming activities.

The first sign of the activities of the Boko boys was at the collapse bridge which my colleague told me,the boys used grunet to bomb the bridge but the bridge could not go down because of it solidness,immediately , I once again starting praising my country as we get things right if we real want to.

At that point,I thought we had arrived at the heart of the Boko boys but not yet as our driver Mallan Hassan which I tactical made friend with some days before the trips drove through the lonely road for another thirty minutes with out any vehicle passing or coming on our way,again fear start recouping my mind.

As we proceed,we got to one of the most dangers point and according to one of my colleague who say he frequent the road,the point was the place the Boko boys dislodge the army just about two weeks back with all the sign of their operations still visible,I was also informed that the boys had warned the Solider's to leaves the very point as they claimed the spot is their T-junction route to their major operations,the Solider's felt obeying  the commands of the boys was given to surrender, so refute their threat and still staged their operations there,that made the Boko boys to come hard on the soliders,the attacked I was told leaves some Solider's killed and one the army APC armory was said to have being cater away,but it is a story I could not verify as l don't even  have such lever to do that in the first place in this occupied land.

At this point,the cold returned to my feet even with a high temperature of about 43 degree Celsius ,I found myself sweating cold and heat at time because the point was an wide land-space that you don't known where and which areas real belong to the country, I was scared as our drive marched the accerelator to cover the distance.

Gradually we arrived at the next village where they was a sign of some pockets of attacked by the Boko haram boys again but what strucked me in this particular villages was that,the houses were not touched,it is only a new build medical Centre that was set ablazed,I being to wonder again but your quest  should be as good as mind as I thought about the incident along.

Patiently we descend toward Damboa but most of the communities along the way were deserted as you could seen a whole settlement with no sign of a single soul.

At one point between the last brigde before Damboa,they was this bad odour of human remains which tell you some souls may have being killed out there as no sign of living in that village,we later confirmed,the boys were there four days back by our our security man who told us why the curfew time in Damboa was increase from 10.pm to 8pm

Finally,we approach  the main town of  Damboa,the welcome sign was a Hugh army checkpoint with a War-like -Zones that tell you ,"you are in an occupied territory",no smile on the Solider's face as he mount his heavy look on our car with his warrior voice ,he asked, "where are you people going?" Mallan Hassan the Driver gently responsed, to Damboa Sir,as Hassan later claimed,he knew the solider.

As the Solider turned to me  I hurriedly greeted him ,"Weldon sir"I wanted to shade myself of more questions,the solider man,without blinking at me ,he look through the vehicle to the others passengers and then hit the motor with a bang for us to go.

Straight to my bunker I went as Hassan the driver drop me outside the gate without minding the bicycle riders I saw over all the place as if they were set for "France the tour race" and men with guns that I saw moving about,I could not real comprehend the situation but one thing I knew, I m in an occupied land and I must learnt how to lives with guns men in my two days stayed as I quicken my step in. to be continue.